Formation of Israel: 1947






The debate on the borders of Israel and Palestine have been
discussed frequently since the formation of the state.



The tension between the Arabs and Jews has caused conflict in areas regarding a new Zionist state, but although the conflict is prominent, the Jewish People and the world acknowledge that they deserve their own state. The partition of Palestine for a Jewish state happened after the Holocaust when six million European Jews were killed. After the holocaust, no country would deny the Jewish People of this since they were persecuted mainly because they had no homeland. The remaining Jews applied pressure on Britain because they controlled the region that the Jewish People wanted; however, the Arab countries surrounding it wanted the British to stop the Jewish immigration to Palestine entirely. This created a dispute two large for Britain to handle and as a result, they handed the situation over to the Untied Nations. The U.N. proposed that they would split Palestine into two separate states, one for the Arabs ad the other for the Jewish. Also, the separation proposal even required the disintegration of British troops by August 1948.The plan was accepted by the Israelites but the Palestinians/Arabs rejected the entire proposal and threatened a war with the Israelites if they declared Israel a  state. As a result of this, both nations chose to ignore the proposal and to instead engage in war. As the war progressed the Jewish people obtained land originally not granted to them in the United Nations proposal. This land has called for dispute between the two regions that are claiming the land belongs to them. Many outside opinions’ such as Muslims and Christians have sided with the Jewish People because in their religious texts is clearly says that Israel is land given to them by the Lord. Also, no one wants to give the Jewish People a difficult time considering what they have already been through.



War Of Independence: 1948

The Israelites have long dreamed of a nation of their own and will obtain it through the War of Independence. The partition of Palestine proposed by the United Nations created conflict that could only resolved by war. When the Palestinians rejected the partition, the Jewish people and Arabs embarked on warfare even before Israel was declared a state. In November of 1947, the Jewish People were put against Arab armies from Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Lebanon. The British colonialists, who were previously in control of the region, admitted they could do little to help, and they left the fighting to the Jewish People. The Arabs nations were all in agreement that the region desired by the Jewish people was property of the Palestinians. On May 6, 1948, the Arabs attacked a Jewish settlement at Kfar Etzion. The Arabs massacred the defenders. Although from this battle the Jewish people suffered great defeat, they still managed to prevail because the Arabs were “poorly armed and poorly trained, and they lacked the will to fight.” On June 11, 1948, a truce was declared and Israel won its independence. The following year, 1949, there was still sporadic fighting but the Arab nations grudgingly agreed to acknowledge Israel's borders and an uneasy peace fell over the Middle East.

Suez Crisis: 1956

Economics and Politics played a
large role in the war to obtain the
Suez Canal.

The Suez Crisis was an offensive war in October 1956, fought by France, Britain, and Israel against Egypt.  Soon after Israel invaded Egypt, Britain and France joined as allies and began to bomb Cairo.  These attacks have been seen as France as the instigator, Britain as the partner, and Israel as the trigger.  British and French forces withdrew before the end of the year, but Israeli forces stayed until March 1957.  This war followed President of Egypt Nasser’s decision in July 1956 to nationalize the Suez Canal.  The main point of the attacks was to regain control of the canal for the West and to prepare for the fall of Nasser from power, who was seen as a threat to the three countries.  Britain, France, and Israel were primarily successful in succeeding in their military objectives, but pressure from the Soviet Union and America made them withdraw.  Britain and France ultimately failed at their goals of controlling the canal and taking Nasser from power.  As a result of the Suez Crisis, the United Nations Emergency Force would police the Egyptian-Israeli border to keep them from fighting.

Six Day War: 1967

The Six-Day War, also known as the end of the Arab-Israeli War, in 1967 was a huge victory for Isreal and the final step to independence for the Jewish people.  President Nasser of Egypt and the other Arab nations refused to recognize Israel’s right to exist.  Egypt threatened Israel, and Syria regularly shelled Israeli communities, and conducted terrorist attacks along the Israeli borders.  Israel retaliated against the Syrians, shooting down six Syrian fighter planes.  On May 15, 1967, Israel Independence Day, Egypt prepared troops to attack Israel.  Egypt advised The United Nations to pull out their peacekeeping forces in the Sinai desert.  They claimed that with the United Nation’s withdrawal from Sinai, the destruction of Israel would happen once and for all. Egyptian forces in Sinai blockaded Israeli shipping headed for Eilat.  This cut off the supply routes to Asia and stopped the oil supply that was importing from Iran.  America declared this illigal, but was unable to stop it. 




Israeli troops roll into Gaza after invading Egypt during the
6 Day War.

 

At this time, Iraq, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria all joined an Anti-Israel alliance.  Israeli planes attacked Egypt with help from weapons donated from America and France.  However, the Soviet Union was giving help to the Anti-Israel alliance.  Within six days, Israel broke through Arab enemy lines, and its area was now exceeding 26,000 square miles, as it captured The Old City, Kotel, and unified Jerusalem.  This day was delcared Yom Yerushalayim, or a national holiday called Jerusalem Day.  Another reason that Israel was victorious was due to empathy and donations from the Jewish world in other countries.  After the war, Israel was placed in a position of directly ruling 750,000 Arab Palestinians.  Isreal lands raised the possibility of land for peace treaties.  Currently, Egypt and Isreal and Jordan and Isreal signed a peace treaty. 

Munich Olympics: 1972

The Palestinians, at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, showed that instead of launching military attacks to reach political goals, they would resort to terrorism. The “Black September”, a Palestinian terror organization held hostage and killed members of the Israeli Olympic team. The Olympics which is normally used as a way of fighting without guns soon became a world-wide debacle. On September 5th, early in the morning, the “Black September” launched their attack and bombarded the apartments where Israeli athletes were sleeping. The “Black September” held them hostage before eventually killing 11 Israeli Athletes when their goals were not meet. They wanted the release and safe passage of 234 Palestinians and non Arabs who are jailed in Israel, but also they wanted two German radicals released as well. When the Israelites responded with no cooperation, many were killed. This act committed by the Palestinian terrorists was poorly timed ad badly planned for several reasons. First, the Olympics, a time of joy, should not be made into a time of sorrow. Secondly, no country will cooperate with terrorist groups killing Jewish people in Germany. This not only looked bad for the Palestine but also for Germany.

Yom Kippur War: 1973



This soldier continues to celebrate the most holiest
of holidays even while fighting.



The Yom Kippur War, or the Fourth Arab-Israeli War, was fought in October 1973, between Israel and the Arab states led by Syria and Egypt.  The war began when the Arab nations launched a surprise attack on Israel on Yom Kippur, which is the holiest day in the Jewish religion.  Arab forces crossed cease-fire lines to enter the Sinai Peninsula and Golan Heights which belonged to Israel since the Six Day War.  A complicated web of offensive attacks, counterattacks, and ceasefires eventually drove Israel to victory on October 25.  The war led to humiliation to Egypt and Syria, and a sense of vulnerability to Israelis, despite their win.



Israeli Peace Treaties

In 1979, Israel and Egypt signed a peace treaty, known as the Camp David Accords. (more information in other post)
“1. The Parties recognize a mutuality of interest in good neighborly relations and agree to consider means to promote such relations.
2. The Parties will cooperate in promoting peace, stability and development in their region. Each agrees to consider proposals the other may wish to make to this end.
3. The Parties shall seek to foster mutual understanding and tolerance and will, accordingly, abstain from hostile propaganda against each other.”
In 1994, Israel and Jordan signed a peace treaty.
“Peace is hereby established between the State of Israel and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (the "Parties") effective from the exchange of the instruments of ratification of this Treaty.
1. They recognise and will respect each other's sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence;
2. They recognise and will respect each other's right to live in peace within secure and recognised boundaries;
3. They will develop good neighbourly relations of co-operation between them to ensure lasting security, will refrain from the threat or use of force against each other and will settle all disputes between them by peaceful means;”

Camp David Accords: 1979

The Camp David Accords  was signed in Washington DC on September 10, 1979, declaring that Egypt recognized Israel as a country and that Israel withdrew from the Sinai Peninsula.  President of Egypt Anwar Sadat, prime minster of Israel Menachem Begin, and American president Jimmy Carter met to work on a plan for peace in the Middle East, and invited the other Arab nations to join.  Part of the Camp David Accords stated that, “four wars during thirty years, despite intensive human efforts, the Middle East, which is the cradle of civilization and the birthplace of three great religions, does not yet enjoy the blessings of peace. The people of the Middle East yearn for peace so that the vast human and natural resources of the region can be turned to the pursuits of peace and so that this area can become a model for coexistence and cooperation among nations."  In July 2000, President Clinton invited Israeli prime minister and Palestinian Authority chairman to return to Camp David and continue negotiations for peace in Middle East. 

From left: Anwar Sadat, Jimmy Carter, and Menachem Begin, join together to establish peace.

Important People



David Ben-Gurion was the first prime minister of Israel.  He officially proclaimed the establishment of the State of Israel, and he was the first person to sign the Israeli Decleration of Independence. Ben-Gurion led Israel in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and united the IDF.  He was named one of Time’s 100 most important people of the 20th century.

Theodor Herzl was the founder of Zionism, which is Jewish nationalism dedicated to the formation of a Jewish state.  He was an influential person regarding Israel’s formation and nationalism.  Here is an excerpt from his essay  The Jewish State.

"The idea which I have developed in this pamphlet is a very old one: it is the restoration of the Jewish State.

The world resounds with outcries against the Jews, and these outcries have awakened the slumbering idea.…

We are a people—one people…. Let the sovereignty be granted us over a portion of the globe large enough to satisfy the rightful requirements of a nation; the rest we shall manage for ourselves."

Government and Society

Israel has a parliamentary system of government, with no complete formal constitution.  It is a Jewish and democratic state.  Local government is relatively limited in power.  The Israeli Supreme Court has developed a judicial bill of rights to ensure protection of human rights and the government offers National health care, giving all citizens the right to free medical care.  The nation is divided into six administrative districts, with 14 subdistricts under the charge of district officers.  Local self-governing is controlled by councillors, which are elected.  The labor party led the government from independence through 1977, from where it collapsed after a series of complicated government issues.  Major parties today include the Labor party, Natural Religious party, Orthodox Party, and United Arab List. Religion plays a large role in Israel's government, laws often favoring the majority of the population, the Jewish community. Imperial goals also has played a large role in decisions since the formation of Israel, concentrating on building a strong military to gain more Arab land to rule, while protecting against those who wish to revolt to restore original borders. Israel joined the United Nations shortly after its formation and continues to be active in global politics today.

Israeli Economy

During May 1948, during the Arab War, the immidiate economic problems started to effect Israel, such as financing and waging a war, to take in as many immigrants as possible, to create a government to cope with these challenges, and to provide the basics for the population of Israel. In early 1952, A New Economic Policy was introduced, which consisted of devaluation of the exchange rate, the gradual relaxation of price controls and rationing, and curbing of monetary expansion, which primarily happened by budgetary restraint. Immigration encouragement was cut short.  From 1950 to 1965, Israel had a high growth rate, with a GNP (gross national product) increase of over 11%.  This was because Israel received large sums of capital inflows from America in the form of transfers and loans.  Also, German reparations, and the sale of Israeli bonds helped the economy.
 
Now, Israel had resources available for domestic use, which led to the government intervention in the economy.  During the Six Day war, Israel was responsible for the economic burden of the newly acquired Arab lands.  The economies of the occupied territories and Israel were partially integrated.  Trade of goods and services started, and Palestinians began working in Israel. In the 1990’s,  the Palestinian economy and Israeli economy formed an agreement, which extended the trade policy.  Today, Israel is considered one of the most advanced economic and industrial countries in SouthWest Asia.  It has the 49th highest gross domestic product, and is ranked 17th of the world’s most economically developed nations.

Israeli Military

The Israeli Defense Force, or the IDF, was founded after the State of Israel was established, on May 26, 1948 as directed by Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion.  Two other Jewish underground organizations, Irgun and Lehi, agreed to join the IDF if they could form independent units.  The new army organized itself and fought in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.  The IDF’s role was mainly low-intesity conflict, urban warfare, and counter-terrorism.  The IDF consists of ground forces, air force, and navy, and differs from most other militaries in the world because it drafts women and because the three branches of the military are very close.  The IDF has close relations with the United States military. 

Culture and Religion




The Wailing Wall of Jerusalem is one of the
most sacred sites in Judaism, being a site for
Jewish pilgramge and prayer. It has also been
the source of much tension between the Muslim
and Jewish communitys since the rise of
Zionism in the 20th century. 


 Once finally becoming a nation, Israel established a national identity mainly through religion, using Zionism, however, differences have created many divisions. Today, nearly 80 percent of Israel is of the Jewish race.  Of the 80 percent of Semitics in Israel, many smaller sub divisions exist with some receiving better treatment than others. The religious orientation has even affected social politics, where Karaites, a subgroup of Judaism are regarded as Jewish; however they are not permitted to marry other Jews. The remaining Arab population of Israel is divided even more into the dominating Sunni Muslims, Christians, and Druze. Unofficially, Arabs receive second class treatment. Having one of the highest birthrates in the world and working for low wages or not at all, due to discrimination, the Arab population of Israel is considered greatly impoverished when compared to the higher ranking Jewish population. Being oppressed, the Arab population has been becoming more radicalized which is leading to even more governmental repression. Divisions in religion have even created problems regarding holy sites in Jerusalem. In a radius of one km in Jerusalem, sacred sites of three religions sit, the Wailing Wall for Judaism, two mosques for Muslims, and numerous holy Christian sites including the site of the last supper, the Tomb of the Virgin, and more. With such a densely packed area of religious treasures, tension exists.   


 Psychedelic Trance originated
in Israel,among other places, 
and its popularity has been
growing around the world.



Israel prides itself in its achievements in both the arts and technology which classifies it among the top nations in the world. Israel has created cultural identity through is “brilliance in music literature, dance and architecture.” Especially in music, the nation stands out, leading the way in Gao and Psychedelic trance music. However, most importantly, Israel is at the “forefront of science and technology,” known for their advances in genetics, medicine, agriculture, computer science, electronics, optics, cancer research, and theoretical physics. With all the advances in the science and technology field, Israel has become best known for its military technology, the uzi and advanced antiballistic defense system, and is now among the few able to launch a satellite into orbit.